MDNews - Mid Hudson

invasive colorectal surgeon on the medical staff at Vassar Brothers Medical Center and Northern Dutchess Hospital, believes surgeons have now reached a point at which they can no longer overlook robotic surgery as an important option for patients. Dr. Choi — initially a naysayer him- self — acknowledges that the cost and learning-curve concerns are valid, but also notes that the costs associated with robotic surgery are typically case-dependent and that the technology offers benefits beyond laparoscopy because it has broadened the types of minimally invasive procedures available to patients. "Laparoscopic surgery has been accepted by the medical community because of the benefits it provides, which include less bleeding, less postoperative pain and scarring, and shorter recovery times," Dr. Choi says. "If you look at the evolution of minimally invasive surgery, you will notice that technology has been natu- rally moving toward the surgical robot. Physicians often wonder why they should spend the time and money to learn the robotic approach, and the answer really hinges on two things: the materials and the technology." Laparoscopic surgical equipment features a 2-D monitor and straight surgical instruments. The da Vinci Surgical System, however, offers 3-D visualization and EndoWrist instru- ment at ion — tools t hat prov ide a MEET DR. CHOI WHEN JOHN CHOI, MD, MS, FACS, minimally invasive colorectal surgeon on the medical staff at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie and Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, selected the field of medicine in which he wanted to specialize, he was drawn to minimally invasive surgery for two primary reasons — its innovative spirit and its promise in enabling physicians to offer less-invasive solutions for complex diseases. Dr. Choi completed his undergraduate education at New York University and received his medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. He completed his surgical residency at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut and his fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at the University of California, Irvine. In addition to his residency and fellowship training, Dr. Choi completed one year of clinical research in colorectal surgery at the University of Southern California. A prolific user of the robotic surgery system, he has been an integral member of Health Quest's multidisciplinary minimally invasive surgical team since 2011. A TIME LINE OF MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY MINIMALLY INVASIVE PROCEDURES have redefined the way surgeons in many fields, including gynecology, urology, and general and thoracic surgery, care for patients. Here are some of the highlights from the evolution of this game-changing innovation: + 1970s — Kurt Semm, MD, a German OB/GYN who is widely regarded as the founder and father of modern laparoscopic surgery, develops the techniques of thermocoagulation used to minimize intraoperative bleeding and intra- and extracorporeal knotting used to suture tissue laparoscopically. By the late 1970s, according to an article in the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, Dr. Semm had performed laparoscopic myomectomy, oophorectomy, ovarian cyst resection and treatment of ectopic pregnancy using his state-of-the-art techniques. + 1980 — Dr. Semm performs the world's first laparoscopic appendectomy. + 1985 — Eriche Mühe, MD, FACS, performs the first laparo- scopic cholecystectomy. + 2000 — The FDA approves the da Vinci Surgical System for robot-assisted cholecystectomy and gastroesophageal reflux surgery. + 2001 — The da Vinci receives FDA clearance for thoracic surgery and radical prostatectomy. + 2005 — The da Vinci receives FDA clearance for gynecologic procedures. + 2009 — The third generation of the surgical robot — the da Vinci Si Surgical System — launches. + 2014 — The da Vinci Xi Surgical System enters the marketplace. Dr. Choi sits at a robotic console used to operate the da Vinci system at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Mid Hudson | 7

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